The visions of gods
by D'AngelineHeroine13
Summary: Milo, Cassia and Corvus wake up in present time after the gods interfere with their fates. Changed to T rating in case of violence in later chapters. (Also looking for a beta, please pm if interested!)
1. Chapter 1

Pompeii

Prologue

Mars looked down from his perch on a cloud as the scene unfolded in Pompeii. He reveled in the feeling of chaos that the volcano caused. The battle in the arena had whetted his appetite but the volcano was a whole new game. He could feel the panic and the fear in all those humans down there. He was nearly rolling along the frothiness of the cloud as he let the waves of frightened emotions roll over him; he loved it.

As Mars giggled out his enjoyment in the clouds, a flash of light caught his eye. He looked toward the stars. There, in the sky, Milo and Cassia's future was written clearly. Their time wasn't finished yet. They would be the only ones to outrun the lava. Mars shrugged carelessly and looked back toward the events of Pompeii. A future of love meant nothing to him. But that senator, Corvus...he created much chaos!

Mars grinned and decided that he couldn't help himself. He whisked himself down to the ground as the senator fought the teeming crowds in the streets.

Mars went unnoticed as he glided through the air to whisper in Corvus' ear. "You must go back!" Mars laughed heartily. "Go back to the arena. For something special!"

The senator fought the mobs back and rushed back to arena, driven by some gut instinct.

Mars watched the senator and his forces. Glee pounded through his body. He glanced to the sky and watched as the stars changed, and the senator delayed Milo and Cassia's journey. He smiled with satisfaction.

While he could feel the madness on earth tingling on his skin, he could feel the anger of the other gods wash completely through him like the tidal wave that washed through the city. He knew they were displeased with the interruption but he couldn't get enough of the pounding wave of their anger. It coursed and rolled through him, and he loved it.

As he watched Milo fight Corvus, Mars decided he quite liked the senator. He was a force to be reckoned with, a force that caused the chaos Mars so enjoyed, and Corvus was a man who didn't care who he hurt or what the ramifications were so long as he got what he was looking for. Oh, yes. Mars enjoyed the senator's efforts very much! He laughed maniacally as the senator came sauntering down the steps toward Cassia after his battle with the slave was over. Mars was quite enjoying the look in the senator's eyes as he gazed upon his prize!

There was movement to the side. Milo! The slave had leaped back into action! Mars was disappointed. His fun was going to come to an end! He watched as Milo chained the senator to the broken chariot. Watched them jump onto the horse and watched the lava flow toward the senator. With no thought to the anger of the others, Mars blew a wind upon the senator's body as Corvus screamed in fright of the lava slithering toward him. The senator instantly went into a deep sleep; instead of burning and destroying the senator, the lava encased his body.

More anger. Mars could feel it, like a building orgasm waiting for release. He was in trouble and knew he needed to hide before he was punished, even as the happiness of the fight sailed through him.

Seeing what Mars had done, the other gods grew angry. More than angry; they were livid! Milo and Cassia had had great futures ahead of them that should have led to even more worship for the gods, which would give them more strength, and it was taken away by a few simple words. But Mars had created a great idea.

To rectify what he had done, Apollo and Victoria dropped down from the cosmos and landed near the entwined forms of Milo and Cassia. Wind escaped from their mouths, whisking between and around the two humans, causing them to sleep. Still standing. Still embracing. Still kissing. The lava soon flowed over their bodies; it hardened and turned to stone and ash around them.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch1

Present day

Declan was floored. After weeks of tireless digging, he'd pulled out a perfectly preserved statue from the edge of Pompeii just like the one brought to the museum yesterday from the heart of the city. Both statues had been covered by lava when the volcano had erupted. That much was obvious. But how had not one, but two, statues survived the destruction in their entirety?

Declan was giddy and lightheaded with the discoveries. He brought the second statue to his patrons at the Museo della Civilta Romana, who of course, wanted them in pristine condition as soon as worked on the second statue in the lab; his team was split between this statue and the first. They were working all the built up ash and pumice from the stone.

"You must all be very careful," he told them suddenly, momentarily halting their work. "This may not be stone," he continued, as he pushed a gloved finger through some loose ash. "There's something much softer in here." He was whispering in astonishment now, bending down to look closer at the hole his finger created.

He pushed his light brown hair out of his eyes then, carefully, he took a small scalpel to the hole. Just as it hit something solid inside, one of the students on the projects, Thomas, leaned over to look with Declan.

Thomas was a more than competent student who was normally light on his feet. Today, however, he leaned a little too close and lost his footing; only momentarily, but it was enough to nudge Declan's arm and the scalpel in about an inch deeper. Thomas winced and gritted his teeth at his seemingly simple mistake. He knew the real severity of what he had done, even if it did seem like a small matter.

Declan gasped. He'd felt the scalpel slide effortlessly inside whatever material was behind the dirt and rock. Slowly, trying not to do anymore damage, he pulled the bloody tool from the inside of the statue.

_'Wait. Bloody?!'_ Then his mind began to whirl, as he stared at the tool in his hand, spinning ideas like a tornado.

"Everyone!" he yelled excitedly. Having been on Declan's team for quite some time now they were trained to realize the tone of his voice. The team of archeological students came to a complete and silent standstill immediately. "Do you remember the intact mammoth that was found not too long ago? The one that was so perfectly preserved in ice that it still had blood sitting in it?" Declan paused dramatically. "I think we've found a similar occurance here, that was somehow caused by the lava!" He held up the scalpel, a trickle of blood flowing down the handle for them all to see. "I think we have intact, ancient people encased in lava! I want you all to work carefully," he glanced scathingly at Thomas, who looked beyond remorse. "And quickly. We need to free the specimens as soon as possible to find out what has caused to blood to still look so fresh." Declan finished dispensing his orders and got back to work with an eagerness he hadn't felt in ten years. The team set to work in shifts so the two 'statues' could be worked on around the clock. Thomas volunteered for the night shifts, glad that he was lucky enough to still be on the project.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 2

All Cassia felt was fear. Even with Milo's lips finally on hers, the fear enveloped her. Knowing the lava was close, she couldn't shake the fear, even as she reveled in Milo's embrace. The dread might be running rampant in her veins, but she was still glad that at least she was with him. At least she would always be with him.

The last thing she felt was heat coming toward her, so close, and Milo's lips.

Then suddenly, sharp pain in her right hip. 'Pain?' She opened her eyes and gasped as she began to breathe hard. It felt like her lungs hadn't been used in ages. Her vision was muddled and she could barely make out the light from the lava around her. The ashes were in her eyes. She couldn't hear well; there was only the pulsing beat of blood in her ears.

_'Where was Milo? He was just in my arms!'_ She tried to reach out for him, but her arms felt weighted and they barely moved at her side. Was she lying down? She couldn't think; her arms were not only lifeless and heavy, but they were empty. Milo was nowhere near her.

Only two days after their discovery, Declan and his entire team was assembled in the lab around three different bodies on three different tables. They were all worn thin, driven only by the energy of their enthusiasm. Somehow, there had been no leaks to the scientific community and they were still the only ones who knew of the specimens. They had barely slept, but there were many tests to be done now.

Declan, for one, wanted to find the wound he and Thomas had made in the female's leg. The wound that was hidden by the clothes that had survived the heat as well. Ridiculous as it seemed. The weapons and jewelry from the bodies had already been removed and brought to another room for cleaning or where getting all of the papers, beakers, test tubes, needles and other tools ready and laid out on wheeled trays.

Thomas was carrying a tray of blood testing tubes toward the female body when it's arms twitched. He paused in mid-step, then continued on, chalking it up to a trick of the light. Then the body opened it's eyes and gasped. The tray of tubes fell to the floor and Thomas couldn't bring his body to move beyond his mouth opening, and a strangled gurgle escaped from his throat and trickled between his lips as he saw her chest heaving in great lungfuls of air.

The noise of the glass shattering brought all attention to Thomas as he seemed to stare at one of the corpses and stop breathing, himself. The six other reasearchers and Declan moved toward him, only to follow Thomas' lead and stop in horror as not only the female body, but the bodies of the two men as well, began to breathe and tried to sit up sluggishly.


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: **__I read that the language in ancient Pompeii was Latin, not Italian so hopefully I'm in line with Milo, Cassia and Corvus not knowing what the archeologists are saying at first._

_**AN2: **__Thank you so much to the whole four or so people who have favorited, reviewed, etc. It's awesome to hear from you guys even if it's just a click of the button at the bottom of your screen! You are all fantastic and even though I didn't get to send each of you a pm to say thanks, just know that you're the only reason I made the time to update when I did!_

Cassia's vision and hearing suddenly cleared. She looked down, taking stock of her body. She wiggled her toes, flexed her feet, and continued to move all the way up her body to be sure everything worked properly. When she was satisfied that she would be able to run again, should the need arise, she cautiously sat up and looked around.

The first thing she saw and heard a strangely dressed man who screamed and dropped something on the floor.

It didn't matter that he and suddenly many other people were screaming though, because her gaze had continued to travel to...'_Milo!'_

She leapt off the table, almost falling as it rolled under her shifting weight, and rushed into his arms. Somehow they'd made it. She didn't understand it, but the volcano, the lava...everything was gone and they were safe together.

Milo wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her body as he breathed her in.

Unfortunately the embrace didn't last long. They were pulled apart by a man speaking excitedly to them in a language they didn't know. The man, still with one hand on each of their shoulders, looked up and began talking to the others in the room. Whatever he said had a calming effect after only a few minutes but he gave Milo and Cassia no time to even say a word to each other. He gestured to a man who promptly left, letting both of them know who was in charge of all these people.

The leader made more gestures, obviously asking them to sit back down on the tables they had been lying on.

Cassia glanced at Milo and he nodded. "Until we know what is going on the best thing to do is as they ask." Milo put his arm around Cassia and led her to the table she had been lying on. There was nowhere else to sit anyway. "We'll figure this out together," he said after they had sat. "Perhaps they can tell us how we survived the volcano."

Corvus awoke to the acute awareness of his weapons being gone. He sat up, feeling completely drained of energy, and the sound of screaming made him feel nauseous. If only they would shut their mouths! Then maybe he could open his eyes and find a way out of this before... His eyes snapped open. He wasn't in the streets anymore. There was no fiery, heated death coming his way. Only screaming people and...Cassia.

Rage filled his body when she flung herself into the arms of that slave. She had a Senator right at her fingertips and still chose a lowly, filthy slave! Every instinct in him wanted to squelch the man in front of him. But without weapons, well, he wanted better odds before picking up the battle again. He needed to find out where he was and how he could use it to get rid of the man and sway Cassia.

The screaming had finally stopped so he could wait. He sat quietly, patiently while a man ordered the others about and led Cassia and the slave to a table just like the one he sat on. He missed nothing. He noticed the people in white clothes, still filled with fear, but beginning to pick up items from the floor with shaking hands. He took in each and every face, took in their movements and knew only one of them was a fighter. He knew the dimensions of the room and how long it would take him to get to any of the doors. Every detail was in his mind within seconds.

It didn't take long for the man who had left to come back in the room with a new woman. She didn't wear the same clothes as the others. The clothes were odd but he could see that they were perfectly tailored to her body. In most circumstances he would have taken special care to let his gaze roam over her - even at her age - but during this new situation, the fact that she had a _very_ nice body was just one more fact to add to all the other confusing information he was picking up. Now it was just a dim knowledge and he didn't even quirk an eyebrow when she came in.

"I'm telling you," Declan said excitedly. These people were encased in pumice in Pompeii. They were perfectly preserved and after it was all removed.._They. Woke. Up_."

Maria, a beautiful forty-ish year old woman, just looked back at him, clearly unbelieving, with her arms crossed over her chest and raised her eyebrows. She said nothing.

Exasperated, Declan huffed and swung his arm around the room, gesturing at all the other archeologists and said, "Just ask them. They're still scared out of their minds!" He grabbed one of the students' arms, and pulled her to himself as if she weren't a living being at all. "Look at her, Maria. She's shaking after what she's seen!" Then he pointed at the three people who lived over 1500 years ago in Pompeii. "Better yet, ask them. It's why we asked you here anyway. You're the only person who speaks their language."

Maria still didn't move. Although, she did feel bad for the student who was still in Declan's firm grip, completely forgotten.

"Fine," she gave in. "I'll talk to them. But don't think for a second that I believe you. There is no way for this to be possible." Maria turned toward the lone man first ,who was on the left side of the lab, nearest the wall, whereas the couple were directly across from him on the right beside the bank of windows showcasing the hallway.

"My name is Maria. I spent a large part of my life studying the events of the volcano disaster in Pompeii. May we talk for a while?" she asked him in Latin. She noticed all three of the supposed ancient people startle when she spoke in a language they understood.

Maria spoke to Corvus, Milo and Cassia, who had all introduced themselves to her in their 'interviews' with her.

She spent hours grilling them on every fact of ancient Pompeii she could think of, which were many, and she watched the surveillance video as they woke up. She hated to admit it, but she found herself _almost_ believing their stories. They were even able to give her some extra insight into what life was really like, proving or disproving theories. They only problem she found that kept her from complete surety of them was that none of the three could tell them how they survived so long underground in the pumice without food, water..._air._ And it drove Maria crazy to hear them consistently tell her that if the people who brought them out had no idea, it had to be the gods.

Which was just ridiculous.

But the story they had told her about life before the volcano was epic. She couldn't imagine a perfected line to sell it. And to hear three so complete sides of the same story was incredible. Every fact matched up, the senator had even admitted to the more horrific things Milo and Cassia accused him of, with his own reasons of course. Maria was astounded that he seemed much more interested in finding out what had happened to them and was so compliant when she tried digging into his mind.

Okay, who was she kidding? Maria completely believed them. She just found it hard to admit it to herself.

Declan shook with sheer happiness in the enclosure of the of the small bathroom down the hall from the lab after the interviews. He couldn't believe the story those three had told. And he was going to be credited with finding the proverbial fountain of youth! He would help those three survivors find out what it was that saved them, preserved them, and he would spread it to the world.

He would be famous. He would be rich. He would go down in history just like one of the pharoahs or Greek philosophers.

He bent over the sink and splashed water over his face, his smile unwilling to fall.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 4

_Two Weeks Later_

Getting to know and understand over one thousand years of progress was a daunting task. This didn't deter Corvus in anyway, though. He soaked up every detail -after all, he needed to learn everything he could to integrate into this new world.

As soon as all the examinations, tests and secrecy were over he intended to take this new world by storm. He'd been a Senator before and swaying people to his side was an easy task for someone as charismatic as he. Political power was what he lived for and he could do it again. Especially now that he understood what a 'news source' was! Everyone in this vast world will know who he is and that would insure his triumph!

Having Cassia with him would have been a great asset in that old time before 'the voyage' -as she called it- but Corvus had come to realize he didn't need her now. The fame he would receive would more than expedite his transition into a new governmental power structure. And marraige was not necessarily a coveted status symbol like it had been then. His sudden dismissal of her in his plans did nothing to quell the desire for revenge against the slave boy, however. Somehow Corvus would eliminate _him_ for those past transgressions. What did it matter that they happened a millenia ago? For him it had been only fifteen days.

If only those _people_ could figure out how he got here, then he could find his place in this world! It infuriated him that they were so wrapped up in the science rather than just accepting that the gods wanted him saved from death by molten fire. It was the only possible conclusion.

It made him even angrier that they just expected him to stay. Granted, he had signed on at first when he thought they would be able to tell him something he didn't know -truly, for such advanced people, they really were complete imbeciles- but after being so long trapped indoors, only seeing _photographs_ of what the world is like now...

Sighing heavily, Corvus sat in the cushiony chair his room provided, settled his new _clothes_ around himself and revised his old plans to create something entirely new.

If only these tests would soon end.

Corvus pushed the fear racing through his chest away. He refused to look to closely at his feelings of coming so far from all the things and places he knew. He would take it all in stride and he would conquer.

When Corvus awoke in the middle of the night, cramped in the chair he'd fallen asleep in, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. That maybe it already had come. He stood and, after looking to the night sky, he walked slowly to his bed. He stretched and lay down across it, trying to find sleep again.

He'd learned enough of their new Italian language to hold a _very_ simple conversation and therefore resolved to speak to Maria and Declan in the morning about leaving this place. After all, they'd still have Cassia and whatever he'd leave of the slave to run their tests on once he was gone.

He had only just fallen back into sleep when he heard a voice calling out to him.

_**AN: **__So, it's been a while... I'm so sorry! I have zero excuses. All I know is that it was suddenly two months later than it was supposed to be. I've written and rewritten this chapter over and over again trying to get it perfect but I could never get it right. Trying to place the fear, confusion and other extreme emotions that would come with an unprecedented time jump into the future was not only something that I just could not seem to get on paper but was also something that I really just couldn't fathom. I wrote myself into a corner on that bit that I just couldn't push through. Finally I opted to push it farther into the story. _

_I chose two weeks later because it would still be a time of fear and anxiety but with the strength of their characters I felt this would have given them ample time to at least begin to accept that this was their lives now. _

_Acceptance was the hardest thing to write. How do you go from waking up, realizing you're in a new place with strange languages, customs...all that you've ever known is lost and everyone you've known is long gone from the planet? Maybe what I did was cheating but after so long I think I made the right move in pushing past that barrier._

_**AN2: **__Also, I'll be much better at updating now. I have a few other chapters written (just need editing) so they won't be long in coming! Huzzah!_


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 5(2)

_**Corvus:**_

Mars and Apollo were whispering inside his head; Corvus knew it was them. How he was sure, he couldn't discern, but they were there all the same. In his dream state Corvus couldn't tell who was who. Their words flowed and intertwined together so much that each sentence seemed to be a swirling mix of the two gods' thoughts and nothing they said to him made sense.

He was certain that one of them was whispering lies to him but it was so far fused with the other's words that he lost bits and pieces. Were the gods on opposing sides, trying to shut the other out of his mind? Or were they working in tandem in Corvus' mind, trying to ignite a fire with their blended verse?

"Corvus," one demanded quietly.

"You must...," from the other. Or was it from the same?

"...listen. Don't listen."

They were trying to drive him mad! 'What was the cause for bringing me here,' he wondered, 'if I'm only to be driven insane?'

More jumbled words whisked seemingly throughout his entire being and Corvus' dream self crumbled under the pressure of them.

"Leave."

"...ask."

"The boy..." "The girl."

"...leave..."

"Unmoving"

"...death. Blood is..."

"...blood. Too much blood."

"...leave..."

Then they were gone.

Corvus jerked into awareness with a naeusiating quickness. His hair and face were slick with sweat. His naked torso was shining with it. He kicked the blanket away from his legs then lay, breathing heavily on his bed, until he could think through the memories of those voices.

A short while later when he was calm and feeling himself again, the realization of their weakness hit him with full force. Their presence had seemed so tenuous, so fragile.

They should have been thundering voices. He should have been able to see and touch their forms in his dreams but all he got was their thready voices.

However, through it all it seemed that one bit of instruction had risen with a bit of strength. Leave.

Suddenly, for reasons he wasn't sure he understood, Corvus was hit with determination. Not one thing could make him disobey in this. He would leave at the earliest opportunity.

With a calmness that belied his fitful sleep, he redressed, pulled the sheet off his bed and packed all of the things the doctors and researchers had given him inside. He tied the sheet around the clothing, remade the bed so that the missing linen would go unnoticed, and stuffed his belongings under the bed. Then he walked out the door, bent on finally retrieving his weapons- even if he had to kill every last person in the area to get to them.

_**AN1: **Sorry for the shortness! T__his chapter was originally MUCH longer, with another pov from Milo added in, but with my own powers of procrastination, I decided to hack it in two. I've also had to scrap a few things -a lot of things!- so this might be a bit slower in coming than I thought. _

_**AN2:**__ I cannot tell you how sorry I am for all the delays. My husband's father lost all of his savings and his home is in a bad state so we've all packed up and moved (again) a state away to live with him and help with the bills, the badly needed renovations and to give him some space to be able to save his money back up. We also have yet to have the internet installed in the house (I may or may not be using my husband's work hot spot... Oops!) Needless to say, this has all really screwed with my internet time. But I am still here and I'm not going anywhere til this story is completed. I hope some of you are still out there, too. This is all for you, afterall!_


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